“Safety Packet” Now Sufficient for Medical Dispensary Sales In Oregon

By OCC Staff
Oregon Cannabis Connection

Update (4-1-2016): OHA says that the legislation made an immediate change to the rules and is still requiring dispensaries be presented a valid OMMP issued Registration Card. Per the OHA – The change in HB 4014 states that the receipt is issued from OHA and the content referred to as a safety packet is not issued from OHA.

March 31, 2016 – With a lot of crazy changes recently to the structure of the Oregon medical marijuana rules, one of the few good things to come from the session was the language included in HB 4014 which allows  patients who have mailed in their application to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to shop at a dispensary for medical cannabis products.

With the recreational program limits of only flower (and less than a ¼ ounce), the needs of a typical medical patient go far beyond the products available through the current recreational market. The only way to purchase “medical” products, like tinctures, concentrates, and edibles, as well as larger quantities of flower, is to possess a Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) registration card. Until HB 4014 was signed into law, a patient had to wait until the actual card arrived from the state, a process which could be slow at times, often taking many weeks or even months.

“HB 4014 allows dispensaries to serve patients who have applied for but have not yet received their OMMP card but who have received a US Post Office (USPS) return receipt showing that OHA has received their application,” explained Anthony Taylor of Compassionate Oregon. “This ‘green card’ is good for 30 days from the date the OHA received the application.”

HB 4014:
Section 9(12)
For any purpose described in ORS 475B.400 to 475B.525, including exemption from criminal liability under ORS 475B.475, a receipt issued by the authority verifying that an application has been submitted to the authority under subsection (2), (3) or (6)(b) of this section has the same legal effect as a registry identification card for 30 days following the date on which the receipt was issued to the applicant.”

Taylor pointed out that the bill was passed with an emergency clause, meaning the bill takes effect on passage. The last section of the bill reads:

“At this time there is no other way to receive a receipt from the OMMP than by mailing your application along with your fees ‘return receipt requested,'” explained Taylor. “You will not receive a receipt if you just drop it in the slot at the OMMP office in Portland.”

The USPS usually takes about a week to deliver your Return Receipt card. According to Taylor, the OHA is currently getting cards out to patients in about 21 days.  Applicants should keep this receipt in their possession until they receive their card from OHA.